Failure to Launch (2006)

Genre: Romantic comedy

Directed by: Tom Dey

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Zooey Deschanel

Running time: 97 minutes

Tripp is a 35-year-old man in no hurry to move out of the family home. His parents, in an act of desperation, hire Paula to seduce and date their son. Paula’s job is to date men who won’t leave their parent’s house to boost up their self-esteem, in the hope that they will then be ready to venture out on their own.

The concept of someone dating somebody else under false pretenses only to have it backfire on the deceitful person has been done a thousand times in Hollywood. Despite the lack of originality and the improbable plot, Failure to Launch remains a somewhat entertaining comedy.

The two main actors are good enough in their respective roles here, but the highlights for me, acting-wise, are in the presence of Zooey Deschanel and Kathy Bates. I love these two actresses; both have a knack for making material better than it really is.

This 2006 comedy is not to be taken seriously. It is fun for what it was meant to be, and nothing more.

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